On the hit TV show How I Met Your Mother, one of my favorite characters (Victoria) puts off her first kiss with Ted because of something she calls “The Drumroll.”
The Drumroll is the lead-up to the kiss. The anticipation. The imagining of what the kiss will be like, and the waiting for the realization of that hope. She’s willing to put off something she wants in order to heighten the experience later.
Ted, of course, wants to kiss her. Not to get it overwith, but because he’s not patient. He doesn’t understand (no matter how much they talk about it). He wants what he wants, and he wants it now.
In romance, we call this sexual tension. The anticipation and build-up before anything happens. Sometimes, sexual tension takes up most (or all) of a book. It depends on how the author chooses to tell his/her story. Some of my favorite books are all about the Drumroll.
What about you? Do you prefer the Drumroll? Or would you rather they get straight to the chemistry?
